True Damnation
by TotallyRandomADHDChick
Summary: Edward refused to change her for the sake of her soul. Too bad she was already damned.
1. The Letter

Disclaimer : Neither the Covenant or Twilight belongs to me. Surprising, I know.

Prelude

_Dear Edward, _

_I'm sorry for leaving so early, and I'm sorry for not saying goodbye, but it's better this way. There are things, important things, in my life that you are unaware of, things you should stay unaware of. I wish I could tell you, but...I made a promise, or rather, I inherited one. _

_Not that it makes much difference, really. You were probably on your way to say goodbye to me, and that's when you found this letter. I know you better than you think I do, Edward. Not that a blind monkey couldn't have figured out what you planned. The look in your eyes after Jasper attacked me? After you told me that you were damned and refused to take away my soul, too?Not hard to figure out what you were thinking, which is 'I'm too dangerous for her'. _

_So maybe I'm just beating you to the punch, leaving you before you can leave me. That's what my brother would say, you know. That I'm being a coward. I like to think, though, that I'm keeping you safe from the harm that my eighteenth birthday will bring. Yeah, sorry about that lie, too. My eighteenth birthday is September 15, which is tomorrow, or today, depending on if its midnight yet. _

_I love you so, so much, Edward, I really do. I'm sorry I had to leave like this, but...well, but nothing. I'm just plain sorry. _

_Maybe one day I'll contact you again, or we'll run into each other. Part of me hopes so, but the other part knows you could very well hate me after this..._

_Forever your's,_

_Isabella Marie _

She sighed and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face, not bothering to tuck it back into the ponytail. She reread the letter once more, making sure that her tears landed on the stripped bed and not the actual letter, then folded it into a heart shape. She slipped the cheesy note into a manila folder with a picture of her and Edward together (one of the few she had), then gulped back the next wave.

"You ready, Isy?" Her brother asked softly from the doorway, green eyes sad as he watched his half-sister suffer. He really hated to do this to her, but she had asked.

Her hand reached out and he moved to hold it, pulling her off the bed and into a side hug. His eyes pulsed amber for a second, then the whites seeped to black as her suitcases vanished. Thirty seconds later, the entire room was empty except the base furniture and the manila envelope, the named _Edward Cullen _scrawled on the front.

_Three Hours Later_

"Dude, what the fuck was that?"

Reid wasn't surprised that the first thing out of Caleb's mouth was a demand. Ever since Sarah had left to visit her cousin over the break, their 'fearless leader' had been more stick-up-the-ass than usual.

"Keep your damn voice down, got it?" Reid snarled back, his eyes flashing as he shoved his blonde hair out of his face. "And that was me traveling to fucking Washington, that's what that was."

Caleb froze at that, eyes widening. There was only one thing in Washington that Reid, or any of them, for that matter, would Use so much for. Stepping around Reid, the leader of the group poked his head around the door of the small house. A second later, he was perched on the bed, staring at his friend's little sister.

"I thought we agreed not to bring her back, for her own good," Caleb whispered, though he didn't sound angry. The group had always been more complete during those rare times that Isy had been around.

"Yeah, well, she called me, said she needed us," Reid shrugged, "Besides, have you forgotten? She's almost eighteen; she'll be ascending in a few days." A glance at the clock had him wincing, "Okay, less than two days."

She was the youngest, even younger than Tyler, who had ascended a few months ago. She was also the least experienced and the least powerful. In some ways, because she was weak on the power scale, and because she had people to guide her, her ascension would be easy. In other ways? Well, Isy had never been much for Using, and she had almost no training. That would make it a little more complicated.

"Damn, that's right." Caleb muttered after a second, brushing her hair back from her face. "She looks horrible, too. Wonder if she's been sleeping at all."

Reid grumbled under her breath. "Probably not," He motioned for Caleb to leave the room with a jerk of his head. "Though it seems more guy problems than fear."

Caleb froze in the doorway, dark eyes narrowing. As both the youngest and the only girl, Isy was the most protected. "Are we going to have to kick some ass? Because..." He trailed off as Reid shook his head.

"Much as I'd like to? Nope. Promised the princess that I wouldn't touch him." Anger and distaste filled his face. He might be an asshole, but like all the boys, Reid took 'big brother duties' seriously.

Tyler chose that moment to put his head around the doorway, eyebrows raised. "Did someone just mention the princess?"

At first, the nickname had been a joke. Reid had always teased her because she was so much better than them, with her morals and compassion. Isy had always gotten so mad when they called her princess, but then it became more of affection and less of teasing.

"Yeah, she's sleeping in Reid's room," Caleb answered before Reid had a chance to.

Tyler stepped into the hallway made his way past them, ducking into Reid's bedroom. A few seconds later, and Tyler was back, frowning. "She looks horrible. Like she hasn't slept in a while."

"She's going through her ascension soon, remember?" Reid pointed out. "A day and a half or so, and she's gonna go through the same hell she remembers us in."

They were interrupted again, though this time by Isabella herself. A sob came from the bedroom, and a minute later, they heard the tears start. Conversation time was over; it was time to comfort their girl.


	2. Hellfire Bitch

Disclaimer : Neither the Covenant or Twilight belongs to me. Surprising, I know.

Author's Question : Edward was gone for about six months, right? I never read the first half of the book (I can't stand wimpy girls) so I don't really know.

Also, I'm putting the boys as Seniors. Right of the fanfic author and all that.

Chapter 1 :

_Six Months Later_

_March 14_

The BMW convertible had been a hand-me-down gift from Caleb, since he'd gotten a new car. He'd said something about a 'welcome home gift', even though everyone knew he'd just been trying to cheer me up. It had worked, though, and I was smiling again, so there was no need to call him out on the lie.

You wanna know the thing about convertibles? If you have long hair, crap gets caught in it. A few months ago – six, to be exact – that would have been a problem for me. Now? Well, not such a problem. I'd taken a page from the Book of Crazy and chopped it all off. I'd just looked in the mirror, remembered how Edward had loved long hair, and took scissors to my ponytail.

Reid had taken me out to a salon before anyone had noticed, so I could get a style chosen. My hair was to my earlobes now, though some longer strands – few and far between – brushed my shoulders. Slight side bangs, though nothing major; no, the major part was the blonde. He'd convinced me to peroxide my hair, like his. Now I have god awful streaks running through my hair.

Actually, my hair didn't look too bad, and I'm no longer reminded of how Edward loves my hair when I look in the mirror. A'course, I don't really see Bella anymore, I see Isy, but that's a bit different, too.

Pushing the thoughts out of my head, I pushed hard on the accelerator, reaching up to fix my sunglasses with one hand. Not that they were needed here, of course, but they hid my eyes from the wind. Plus, when I Used, no one would notice (except the boys, but that was different).

I had to almost slam the brake as a silver car came into view. Goddammit, what was with people and taking up my road? Then my eyes narrowed through the sunglasses, and I blinked. I couldn't see clearly – cloudy day (like always) and dark glasses did not improve vision.

Letting the mirrored frames fall to my nose, I narrowed my eyes, giving them a boost with a bit of Power. Yep, a silver Volvo. Well, a dark silver Volvo, so not Edward's , but it was a S60R.

I hate those cars.

Scowling and taking off my sunglasses (to the backseat they go), I hit the play button on my car radio. Some unnamed band started blaring, which meant Reid and Tyler had been in my car, but I didn't bother turning it down. The song was hard and mean and it fit the mood I was now in.

"_Although we have no obligation to stay alive,"_

I cranked it louder, adrenaline filling me.

"_On broken backs we beg for mercy, we will survive,"_

Anger came next, taking the place of adrenaline. God, didn't this song just fit my life?

"_When hope is non-existent,"_

And there was Edward's cute little car, and even though it wasn't him...

"_Our instincts all scream "Run","_

I slammed the accelerator and narrowed my eyes on the silver Volvo.

"_We never turn our backs or even bite our tongue."_

Before the last lyrics had been screamed, my beauty was hugging the Volvo, and my scowl had turned to a smirk as I hit the horn. The Volvo sped up, but not fast enough for me. No, it'd never be as fast as He'd been able to run.

We played the game for about a half mile, then I grew tired of it. I dropped back for a second, probably confusing the hell out of the car in front of me, then I swerved the wheel. I transferred into the next lane, switched the song back once, then pushed down on the accelerator once more.

I shot past the silver Volvo, turning my head at the exact moment that the other driver did. I caught barely a glimpse of a pale face and blonde hair, then I was gone. I rounded the curve in the wrong lane, not having enough time to move over, and hit the semi straight on.

I heard the horn blaring, saw the flames, then the road appeared in front of me once more. My eyes burned black before moving back to pale brown, and my smirk grew wider. Wow, so Caleb was going to be so pissed that I'd stolen his move.

I didn't bother stopping or slowing down as I continued towards Ipswich. In fact, I sped up, not glancing behind me at the now stopped truck and car. Nope, that was for normal people, the stopping and caring.

Me? I'm a hellfire bitch, and I wasn't about to stop for shit.

I finally slowed, sliding into my parking space and cutting the engine. My heart still beat hard from the speed, my grin was still wide from the joke I'd pulled on the two vehicles back there. Popping the door open, I swung my legs out, stretching the moment I came fully out of the car.

I didn't bother putting the hood up. No one in Ipswich was stupid enough to jack a car from the Son's house, now my house as well. Sliding my sunglasses back onto the top of my head and dropping my keys in my pocket, I made my way inside said house, pausing the breath in the air.

The house was pretty close to town for us, but it was close to the Academy, something Caleb, Reid and Pogue had all agreed they wanted. Since they were all seniors (excluding me), they were allowed to live off campus, thank god. They had tried to pull some strings and get me out of the dorms, too, but really, I'd rather live in the dorms. Being in the same house with them all the time made me feel...weird.

See, I'm the freak of the freak club. There aren't supposed to be any girls in the little club; the line and the power is passed through the males. In fact, there has never been a girl born to any of the men with power. Nope, never, which made me the first.

Daddy Garwin wasn't exactly faithful to his wife after she had popped out Reid, but he'd never gotten anyone pregnant. Never planned to, which, I know, is a lame excuse, but the Sons of Ipswich aren't supposed to be able to have more than one kid, one son.

So, imagine Daddy's surprise when, nine months after a one-night stand with a brunette babe, the woman show up with me. She vanished the next day, and was found a year later, od'ed on something or other. Daddy couldn't do anything but raise me, except he didn't do that, either. Nope, he left me to Reid's mother, who left me to Caleb's mother, who was afraid for me and sent me away.

Which is how I ended up with Charlie and Renee, who I consider my real parents. Of course, they have no idea they _aren't _my real parents (go Mr. Danvers). Then Renee and Charlie split, and Phil came in the picture, I went to live with Charlie, you know the rest. Or, okay, maybe you don't, but its a little too painful to bring up – both physically and emotionally.

"Yo, princess, you're a little late!" And there was Reid, always loud and yelling. My only biological brother, though everyone had kinda taken on the role.

"I was busy," I yelped back, dropping my glasses and throwing my keys on the kitchen counter before grabbing a beer. I'd changed a little since I'd come back, so sue me.

Someone snorted and then Caleb, all smug-sounding, guessed, "Probably speeding in that car of mine again. Told you she'd love it." Then he raised his voice, not knowing that I was in the kitchen, which was in hearing range of the media room. "You shouldn't play in that car so much, you'll get yourself killed!"

"Will not," I teased back, taking a gulp of the beer (no idea of the brand, and I really didn't care). The game had been going on forever, the guys teasing me about my speed need, and me trying and failing to defend myself. "Besides, I can always do what you do and Use to prevent crashes." A smirk from both of us.

"So that's what the energy spike was. I was wondering..." Tyler said, swallowing his popcorn and laying down a winning hand. "Ha, take that!"

Pogue groaned and Reid cackled, laying his own hand down, "I win, suckers!"

Caleb, though, was focused on me. "Yeah, I was wondering about that."

"Liar." Tyler was the most sensitive, which was probably why he'd felt it. Most of the time, the guys didn't feel me Using unless it was really big, and the stunt today hadn't been really big. Plus, Caleb would have brought it up immediately.

"Doesn't mean that what I say is worthless." He cleared his throat, causing groans from where the other three were playing poker.

Then I started laughing, since Reid and Tyler had commenced throwing poker chips at Caleb's head. "Stop it, guys! Seriously! She needs to be yelled at for over Using!" Caleb yelped, ducking and moving behind the couch.

The chips stopped for a second, but we all knew they were just waiting for Caleb to resurface. "Oh, come on. That's the first time in a few days, man. Let her off the hook," Tyler, not surprisingly, was the one who came to my defense. We had made a pact, as the two youngest, to always have each other's backs against the 'older' members.

"Okay, okay, fine, just stop with the poker chip throwing." Caleb relented, standing up. I smirked and threw one, only to glare as he caught it an inch from his face, eyes black, lips smirking. "Nice try, princess."

"And you lecture me over Using?" I sniffed, though my lips tilted upwards to show that I wasn't serious.

"Um, sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but can we please get on with the damn movie?" Pogue finally said, sliding the cards into the case. "I have a date with Kate in a few hours, and I don't wanna have to cancel."

Every Saturday, the group, only the Covenant, got together to hang out. Girlfriends were nice, but we needed some family time too. Usually we watched a movie, or played pool or poker in the game room. As little as the meetings seemed, though, they had been key in helping me get better, after Edward, and the guys refused to skip out on them now. Afraid I would break, maybe, which was insulting, but I loved the time too much to give it up.

"So what are we watching tonight?" I asked as Reid rolled to his feet and grabbed the Netflix envelope. We could have just Used to get the movies, but I had this thing for Netflix, so sue me.

"Well, we have three today," Reid announced, "Underworld : Evolution, the Crow – the original, not the crap – and..." There was a pause, "Who the fuck ordered Harry Potter?"

The entire room burst out laughing. We'd watched Harry Potter once, and it had been like the Cullens watching Dracula, which they'd done a few times. We couldn't help picking out the flaws and what was wrong, and other horrible parts. Funny afterwards, but no one had enjoyed it during.

"Definably Underworld. Hot naked chick?" Tyler smirked, "Always a yes."

"Yeah, but it lacks plot and realism." I said, stealing a bit of his popcorn, only to screech as someone poked me in the side.

Pogue. Of course. His favorite movie happened to be Underworld, though he preferred the original. "Don't dis my movie, princess. Just because its not realistic doesn't mean it ain't good."

"Actually, it does. Just look at Harry Potter; unrealistic, and horrible." I argued, angling out of the way and promptly falling onto Caleb, who moved to make me more comfortable.

Pogue snorted, "Totally different. Harry Potter is bad because...well, its bad. Underworld has hot chicks, vampires and werewolves, and its like, the all time classic love story." I gagged, closely followed by everyone else in the room. The Pogue smirked, "Laugh all you want, but it got me in bed with Kate."

I rolled my eyes while Reid slapped a high five with Pogue. Caleb snickered against my head and Tyler almost chocked on his popcorn. "Dude, ever heard of TMI?" I asked, exasperated only slightly.

"Not in this group, nope." Caleb answered for him, scooting a bit so that Reid could prop down next to him. I moved so that my head was against Reid's shoulder and my feet where propped on the coffee table, right next to Tyler's popcorn.

"Okay, Isy, shoes off, and feet _away _from my popcorn. I do _not _need your stench in my food." Tyler commanded, moving his popcorn away while looking pointedly at my mud covered black boots.

After a second, I pulled them off, throwing them behind me. Something crashed and everyone winced, excluding me. "I am so not fixing it, because that was totally Tyler's fault." I defended myself without hesitation.

"How is it my fault?" Tyler huffed, but his eyes flashed black and something clicked together.

"Because you told me to, silly. Now pass the popcorn." I reached out, only to get a piece thrown at me.

"Will you guys shut up? I love this part." Reid said without thought. Then he mouthed the words as they appeared on the screen.

Caleb reached over and shoved him, uprooting me in the process. "Dude, you're the one mouthing lines with the chick."

As Reid and Caleb started in on each other – they always did – I moved from my spot on Caleb to Pogue. "I'm sitting on you now. Okay?" Not really a choice for him, not that he cared.

The room silenced, then, as they watched Seline go vampy and blue-eyed. Sometimes lines were yelled out, and when the sex scene came up, hoots and whistles were heard, with a groan from their girl. But it was all okay, it was all fun, because the Covenant was together again, even if 'together' included a girl who wasn't supposed to be.


	3. Predators

Disclaimer : Neither the Covenant or Twilight belongs to me. Surprising, I know.

Author's Notation : I really like Rose, because she's not all sweet and nice, and she has depth. She seems to be the only one that really cares, besides Edward, that Bella is giving away her life. I really kinda liked that. So I'm gonna go with a Rose and Bella friendship here, more than the Bella and Alice friendship.

Author's Question : Anyone wanna help me with the whole first reunion? I have no idea how to play Edward, since I don't really know him as a character. If someone, I don't know, wanted to give me a first sentence and let me run with it, it would be wonderful. I'd give you props.

Chapter 2 :

I groaned as I stared out my dorm window. It was raining once more. The rain and clouds here rivaled Forks, which is a big thing, considering. Of course, the similarity might be the reason why I was more at home in Forks than Arizona, but who cares? I still hate the rain.

Dropping the towel, I rummaged through my drawers, wondering, once again, why I hadn't just opted to move back in with Renee. There had been no uniforms back in Phoenix, and it had rarely rained, and the sun shined every day. But, the voice peeped up from the back of my head, Phoenix was never home. Forks was home, and this is home. Where family is.

I shook away the thoughts and finished rolling my knee high socks on. Straightening, I touched the hot iron and smiled; it had finished warming up. I curled the ends of my hair inward, so my face was framed by dark brown and platinum blonde. Even if I hadn't planned to do it, my hair looked cute in the new style.

Tucking the now curled strands behind my ears, I tested my smile in the mirror once, then frowned. Earrings, earrings...Where were those stupid earrings? Ah, there they were. The sapphire earrings were a gift from Charlie, the last thing I'd gotten from him. I had a matching tennis bracelet from Renee. Both had been birthday gifts, and I'd taken to wearing them every fourteenth day of the month for some reason.

Now I was ready. Grabbing my binder and purse, I bolted out the door and slid the key home, locking the door behind me. I nearly ran into Sarah as I whirled around, letting out a small scream as I jerked back.

"God, Sarah, don't be so quite!" I snapped, pushing back my hair as it invaded my vision.

Sarah laughed, "Sorry, sorry, didn't think I was."

Maybe it was wrong of me, but I sorta replaced Alice with Sarah. While Sarah was blonde, tall and slim – more like Rose – she was also bubbly, happy and loved to shop. All trade marks of Alice Cullen. So maybe it was wrong, but Sarah was here and Alice was not, and Sarah knew the truth about me and she hadn't run screaming. I could be so sure about Alice; I had no idea how Vampires reacted to witches.

She linked her arm through mine and started dragging me down the hall, both of us laughing. "My fault, I guess. I'm not as awake today as usual." I finally said with a smile.

"What's so funny?" Caleb asked from his position against the wall. The elevator button glowed next to him, indicating downward.

"Nothing, nothing." Sarah muttered, moving to kiss him without reserve. I rolled my eyes and looked away, a ping of regret in my heart. Edward and I could have been like that, if we'd both been human, normal.

"Will you two stop sucking face? We've gotta get to class, or we're gonna be late." I snapped irritably, only to be ignored.

Finally, I stepped past them and into the elevator, pushing the door closed. They joined me five seconds later, Sarah with red in her cheeks and Caleb smirking. Dammit, wasn't be supposed to be the boy scout? The polite one? Oh, wait, sorry. That's me, and to a lesser extent, Tyler.

"Oh, don't be so unromantic," Sarah gripped playfully, hanging her arm around my brother.

I snorted, "_That _is not romantic. That's just..." Uck, no word for it. "Well, its not."

"Maybe not your idea of romance, but I'm not gonna argue with it," Caleb informed both of us, rather smugly, from where he was wrapped around his girlfriend. At Sarah's glare, he elaborated. "It makes you happy, so then its romance."

There was silence for a second, then I laughed. "Oh my god, Caleb, you are so wrapped around her fingers." Another way of saying pussy whipped when in company.

See? Polite.

I darted out of the elevator just as Caleb lunged for me, darting around a student and bolting out the dorms. Reid caught me as I slowed to a walk, an arm around the waist dragging me back to him and Tyler.

"What did you say now?" Tyler asked, exasperated.

"Called Caleb pussy whipped," I announced smugly, causing Reid to burst out laughing. Tyler, ever the serious one, rolled his eyes.

"I see that I have taught you well," Reid said sagely after he was finished laughing, "in the form of annoying Caleb."

"Well, its only too easy." I threw back.

Tyler snorted, "Why, again, do they always assume I'm your brother?" People would always assume I was Tyler or Caleb's little sister, or even Pogue's, before they guessed Reid. Guess it was the hair color. "Because you two act exactly alike."

"Except that I don't sleep with everything that moves," I protested, sticking my tongue out at both of them.

"Nope, you freeze them with that Ice Bitch look of your's," Reid teased back, causing me to huff. I did _not _have an 'ice bitch' look. Nope, no way.

Tyler smirked, "Good thing, too, otherwise we'd have to beat the crap out of a bunch of lowly high school guys."

A small inside joke; I refused to date, at all. Some girl had spread the rumor that I thought I was too good for high school boys and dated older men. Kate and Sarah crushed the girl, amazing as they were, but the boys had picked up on it. Now they teased me about liking 'older men', which was kinda true...Except he could also be considered younger than me. A paradox, ha.

"Oh, shut up." I snapped back, though we all knew I wasn't serious. "God, I thought Sarah and Caleb would be here by now."

Reid smirked, "If I were him, I wouldn't let her out of the dorms for another hour or so." Tyler laughed, and I giggled, though I covered it with a cough.

"Good thing you aren't him, then," Sarah's voice came from behind us, and then she pushed Reid forward, taking his spot next to me. I turned my head to smile at her, and winked at Caleb, who rolled his eyes at me.

Reid managed to get on Tyler's other side, leaving Caleb to Sarah's left. The boys walked a bit ahead of us, doing their 'protect the girls' thing, though they probably didn't even know it. "So where are Pogue and Kate?"

"Mental health day," Caleb answered, the one with all the knowledge, or at least the knowledge about his group.

"Which means he and Kate are having some fun," Reid put it, smirking. He always did that, taking away the euphemisms and cover ups, no matter the situation. The joker, that one.

"God, Reid, don't be so crude," Sarah said, disgust in her voice. She didn't have a real spot in the group, besides Caleb's girl, but we let her have her way because she was Caleb's girl. Sorta like me with the Cullens; an outsider accepted because of love.

Someone snapped in front of me, and I jerked my eyes up to meet Tyler's gaze. "You were staring off into space, and..." He squinted, "Your pupils are the size of walnuts." And there went the observant, caring best friend and baby of the group.

"Sorry, lost in thought." I explained, giving him a slight smile, though everyone caught it. I could tell he was worried, because I'd always been grounded, not one to daydream. Just one more thing that they were wondering about, one more thing that had changed since I had last seen them.

"'bout what?" Reid asked, running a hand through his hair and taking the bleached blonde back from his face. "Musta been interesting."

"Just...our places as a group, our dynamic..." And the Cullens, I added in thought, and I was pretty sure, by the sharpening glances, that everyone but Sarah knew it. Sarah, in fact, had no idea about the Cullens.

"Whatever," And boyscout to the rescue. "Sarah was just telling me about Luke and Terra?"

And so the gossip started up again, and we got to hear the juice on Luke, who was part of the swim team, and his brother girlfriend. Again.

Fun.

First period,the history of classical music, was a drag, since I only had Kate and Pogue with me, and neither were there. Which meant no note passing and that I would actually have to do my own work, dammit. Second was a little better, since Tyler and Caleb were both with me, and English lit. was an okay class to start with. Third sucked, as I had Arron Abbot as my advanced math buddy, but fourth? Always rocked.

Study hall was my fourth period, the hour before lunch, which we all had together. Tyler actually used the period to study most of the time, while Reid slept and Caleb and Sarah made out. Kate and Pogue skipped most of the time, as evident as the not so surprised look on the teacher's face. God, those two were going to flunk out if they kept sneaking away to have sex at the house.

I flipped the next page in my book, _Gone With The Wind, _and sighed. All I could think about when reading book was that is was highly unrealistic. Jasper had seen me reading it once and commented on it, something on how it hadn't happened like that. After the very real history lesson I'd gotten, I'd given up on reading the book.

Apparently, even with Jasper gone, I still couldn't read the damn book.

Slumping, I slammed the book closed, and Reid jerked up, blinking sleepy light green eyes at me. Caleb paused in his conversation with Sarah and blinked at me, Sarah staring at me from behind him. Tyler ignored me, though. He was rather good at that.

"I'm incredibly bored." I announced in a light voice, though quite enough to not draw too much attention. "And I'm being ignored once more."

Reid snorted and propped his chin on his hand, while Caleb just rolled his eyes. Sarah looked as bemused as ever, poor girl. "Well, there's not much to talk about. Nothing new has happened, except the new students." Reid told me, looking sleepy and bored.

"Wait, new students? Why didn't I know about that?" I demanded. Why was I always the last to know?

Sarah looked startled. "I thought you did; Kate told me she was going over to talk to you about them and watch a movie?" A question, really, not a statement.

"We watched Never Back Down, did our nails, but fell asleep before any good gossip could be explored. Now tell me about the new kids." I commanded, waving a hand to show the French tipped nails, my bracelet glittering in the light.

"Just five new students, rich kids, ya know? The normal daddy-changed-jobs move? From Oregon or something." A shrug, showing Sarah could really care less about their past. "They don't live at the dorms, but all of them are seniors, which is odd. I know that three of them are adopted."

This was starting to sound really familiar. "Are three of them dark haired, two of them blonde, the blondes being twins?"

"Yeah. See, Kate probably told you and you just didn't remember until now!" Sarah said, smiling.

Ohshitsitshit. Not good. "No, Kate didn't tell me."

The guys were now looking concerned, since it seemed as if I'd lost all color. Even Tyler had raised his head at my tone. "What name are they going by?"

Sarah frowned, her eyebrows snapping together. "Um, there's Alice, Edward and Emmett Brandon and Jasper and Rosalie Whitlock. The Brandon kids are the adopted ones, and the Whitlocks are the twins or something, the biological ones."

"And, wait, let me guess. Alice and Jasper are a couple and Emmett and Rosalie are together?" I weakly asked, and the boys were on board with me, even before Sarah nodded.

"What? Is something wrong? Do you know them?" Sarah looked confused again, not knowing about Edward.

I ignored her and sat back, head meeting Tyler's shoulder, since he sat directly behind me and was leaning over. "I'm not sure is Fate is being a bitch or if they tracked me down." I muttered faintly, though the people around me hear.

Reid growled, "Has to be a coincidence; I covered our tracks too well to be followed."

"Besides, they would have been here faster if they'd known, right?" Tyler asked, all business.

"Doesn't matter, does it." Caleb looked angry and resolved, a warning sign that shit was about to go down. "We'll treat them the same way we treat any of their kind that invade our territory."

"We can't kill them!" I hissed, "I considered them family for a while!"

Sarah looked shocked. Sarah and Kate sometimes forgot, that, while we may seem human, we really weren't. Sure, we ate, drank, slept and breathed, but that didn't make us humane or normal or even human. We had hellfire in our veins; we would never be mere humans.

We were predators, protecting our territory and pack.

"You aren't anymore, Isabella. You have us." Reid was, for once, completely serious, joking far from his tone. That, more than anything, was what warned Sarah that this wasn't her matter, I guess, because that was when she seemed to sit back.

"We are _not _going to kill my ex-boyfriend and his family, Reid, Caleb." I glared at both of them. "Besides, they aren't killers, or at least, they weren't when I knew them."

"That doesn't matter. They aren't human, they're in our territory. They've gotta die." Caleb tried to be gentle, but it wasn't working. I was still getting pissed.

"At least wait until tonight to get a vote, okay? Or hey, even better, wait until they start killing people!" I hissed back, lowering my voice.

Tyler sighed and joined my side. "She's right. We need to wait till tonight for a vote." He wasn't happy, I could tell, but he would back me up, forever and always.

"Dammit, Isy. You're going to warn them, aren't you?" Reid snarled, glaring at me. His eyes were black, and I knew he was looking forward into the future. While he wasn't as great at it as Pogue, or anywhere near Alice, he could look forward a few hours. We all could.

"If they leave this place first, or if we reach a compromise first, then there'll be no bloodshed." I argued to all of them, cutting off all argument. I knew they wouldn't like it, but they'd allow it. I could take care of myself, and they all knew it.

We ignored the bell as it rang, though Sarah stood up. "I'll, um, go get some seats in the lunchroom." She said, before leaving with the wave of students. Smart girl, not wanting to get in this.

Caleb tense, his jaw ticking. "Fine," He spat, "But you take Reid with you." Just like Caleb was best at fighting magic, Pogue at future telling, and Tyler at summoning, Reid had his own strong point : mind and mental magic.

"I don't need a mind reader." I clenched my jaw, "Besides, Edward can probably counteract him; he can read minds." Damn, this wasn't gonna be good.

"You let him read your mind!" I couldn't tell which one said it first, or who the cursing belonged to, but everyone was demanding an answer.

"No!" Dammit, no! "I could block a mind reader even before I ascended!" My best talent came in defense; I could block out mind readers and mental attacks before I ascended, and only gotten better afterwards. I could even make physical blocks now.

"You're still taking Reid." Caleb snapped, standing. "Or we'll stop you from even getting close."

Jaw clenched, I jerked to my feet and snarled out, "Fine. C'mon, Reid, I wanna talk and have time to eat."

I grabbed my purse as we left the room, leaving my binder for Tyler or Caleb – one of them would grab it for me.

We were both silent as we walked, at least until the cafeteria came into view. Then Reid spoke, "Isy...princess, you aren't still in love with him, are you? He did almost kill you..." For once, Reid seemed unsure of himself.

I sighed and stopped. "I won't ever _not _love him, Reid, but I know better. It'll only end in tragedy, and I don't mean for just me." I shook my head. "He probably hates me, anyway, for leaving. Most likely, they'll all be gone by midnight."

Besides, a vampire and a hell-bound, damned witch could never be together.

It just wasn't possible.


	4. the Beautiful, the Damned, the Family

Disclaimer : I own nothing but the idea. Maybe not even that.

Review-y Stuff : Thanks to those who reviewed! You're really amazing, and I totally wrote this chapter because and for you guys!

Oh, and to respond to y'all.

Yana : I really, really like Reid as a character, and I wanted him as a major character. I couldn't put him with Bella, because she's with Edward (so yes to the BxE (; ). Besides, putting her as Caleb's sister seemed like I was making her too powerful, too special. Plus, Caleb and Pogue are the two characters I have the hardest time writing. Best to write Reid, who I like a lot.

marie potter riddle : Thanks so much for the compliment, and I know. I totally went through the entire Covenant x Twilight crossovers, and was sad that there wasn't one that fit my mold. So I made my own, yay! And hopefully you'll like the reunion scene; not very good, but I'm not good at the emotional love stuff. Oh well!

Chapter Three;

She sighed and shifted her weight again, hoping she hadn't gone too long without moving. She was the worst in the family at playing human, next to, of course, Jasper. She hated having to pretend, having to mess with her amazing hair and blink every few seconds. She hated having to pretend to eat, breath and shift her weigh, and she hated having to pretend as if she were stupid, as if she knew nothing.

The worst part, though, was school. She had to act human all the time, she had to pretend she hadn't been through the same process a million times. She had to pretend that she hadn't seen the second world war in live action, that she hadn't watched the riots during Vietnam. She had to keep herself from answering in her ever-board tones the truth behind several historical mysteries. God, maybe that was the hardest thing about school - watching a football coach butcher your time period.

"Yeah, well, its not so much fun for me, either." Edward snapped from across the table, talking too low and fast for a normal human to hear.

In fact, the only human motion worth any trouble at all was the rolling of the eyes, which she demonstrated to Edward. She didn't bother to curb her thoughts, she never did. She didn't care if he could hear, though he mostly tuned her out, complaining that she was too vain for him. Didn't matter to her; Emmett loved her, and she was beautiful, and that was really all that mattered.

Besides, Edward found most everything annoying now. Ever since that disgusting...catching his glare, she changed her thoughts. Ever since _Bella _has left, ever since she'd vanished into the night with no trace, most likely at the hands of Victoria, Edward had become a grumpy vampire. He'd snarled and growled at anyone who had come near him for the first month, then he'd turned mopey.

She really didn't get it. Edward had been planning to leave Forks, and Bella, after her birthday, after Jasper had attacked her and Edward himself had hurt her. So what if Bella had left before them, and without a goodbye and I love you? Humans were fickle that way, not able to grasp the love that life mates shared for each other as vampires, so it wasn't much a surprise. And really, Bella leaving had saved them the trouble, or so she'd thought.

Edward had still picked up and left, and the family after him. Annoyed the hell out of her, as she now had to start high school all over again. This time, Edward, Emmett and herself were playing the seniors, and Jasper and Alice were the juniors. They had kept the same story, changing minor things. Her and Jasper were still the Whitlock twins, though Jasper had been held back. Alice, Emmett and Edward were siblings, Alice the youngest, Edward and Emmett just ten months apart, making them both seniors.

Charlise was a doctor once more, though he wasn't a surgeon this time – he'd opted for ER doctor, though the pay was less. Something about helping people, and in between the lines, she just knew that he'd felt guilty about Bella. He hadn't said anything, sure, but her father wasn't one to really say. Still, they all knew that he felt guilty about letting Bella get hurt, then thinking about running off. Didn't matter that she left first, he was feeling guilty.

Esme, on the other hand, had gone for a new story. Instead of Jasper and Rose being her niece and nephew, they were her rather young step-siblings. Their father had died, along with the twin's young mother, in a car crash, and Esme, around ten years or more their senior, had taken them in. More had changed than that, though. Esme had also taken a part time job, which surprised us all. Maybe she'd wanted to be closer to us, to keep an eye on Edward? Rose didn't care, because the outcome was the same: Esme was a school counselor.

Rose was started by the elbow to her side, and looked to her left, to Alice. "You haven't twitched in three minutes." Alice whispered, though too rapidly for anyone but a vampire to catch anyway.

Rose shrugged, then yawned. "Sorry, was lost in thought." She flicked her glance to Edward, who was glaring at her, his expression one of anger. "As Edward probably knows."

Edward did nothing but glare at her, shifting without thought, as he'd done for decades of pretending to be human. Then he froze, as did the rest of the table. The door to the cafeteria, the one leading in from the outside, had been thrown open, the wind whipping into the room. A scent hit the vampires as four figures stepped into the room.

Rose quickly took stock of the new figures, noting three males and a female. Two of the males were dark in coloring, one was bleached blonde, and the girl was...Bella.

Fuck.

Then Rose looked closer and relaxed. The two girls could be twins, but there was no way this girl was Bella. As the scent swirled around them, everyone but Edward took Rose's cue. Bella had smelled weak, pathetic and terribly human, so appetizing, even to those not Edward. This girl, oddly enough, smelled strong, and Rose imagined that her blood would taste horrible. Well, maybe not horrible, but not as good as Bella's would have.

Not only that, but Bella would never had worn her own skin like this girl did. Bella had been timid, shy, quite and unassuming. The girl in the doorway was standing with power, though she looked less aggressive than the males. She wore the normal school uniform - gray skirt, navy blazer and white shirt, nothing odd. Her hair was different, though. Most girls in the school wore their hair long or pixie short, like Alice. The girl in front of her had a layered, punk look to it, with bleached streaks.

All of Rose's thoughts were contained in the span of a second, her advanced vampire mind working as fast as always. Then the girl stepped into the room, hips rolling in a gait that shouted 'queen bitch'. The taller, obviously older guy stood behind her, reaching up to push his thick hair out of his face. His hand landed on the girl's shoulder and grazed off, and Rose would have suspected that they were a couple if not for the other two guys.

The other dark haired guy, this one looking the youngest but still pretty tall, was holding her left hand, farthest from Rose and her family. He looked angry and pensive, and Rose had to wonder what made him look so constipated. Then she brushed it away, not really caring as her eyes flickered to the blonde, albino-looking guy.

He looked a bit like Malfoy from Harry Potter (everyone had watched for Teen Vampire Night, as the human had coined it), blonde and pale. Even his damn eyes here pale green. He was holding Bella-look-alike's right hand, and for some reason, his glare seemed to be centered on their table. While all four had been looking at the table, only Blondie was actually glaring with what Rose knew was hatred.

"Bella..." They all snapped around to look at Edward, who was staring at the girl with wide eyes. Rose narrowed her eyes. It seemed to be her duty to be the bitch...again.

"Look, Edward, she may look like Bella, but she's not." Rose spoke too fast to be heard by the humans. "She smells different and she moves different, and would the Bella you know actually look like that?"

Edward took another deep breath, watching the group. Two of the guys were moving away, towards the cluster of tables on the other side of the door, opposite the vampires. The other two, the blonde and the girl, were making their way towards the former Cullen's area of the cafeteria.

"No! That's Bella!" Edward hissed, not moving his eyes from her as he stood slowly. Trying to keep up the human charade, Rose guessed. Ever the responsible one, even faced with a lost love, or rather, the face of a lost love.

The pair had quickened their pace, arriving at the table before Edward could take more than two steps away from it. Rose felt her eyes widen; the girl looked even more like Bella when up close. Rose almost wished it was, because then Edward would stop moping...then again, maybe not. Humans were kinda annoying, more annoying than a mopey vampire.

The cafeteria seemed to decrease in volume, until all was silent. "Bella," Edward breathed my name, his hand reaching up to touch my cheek. I shuddered at the cold as it touched my skin, feeling the power dance along me.

I felt Reid shift at my side, but we'd talked about it before coming in. He wouldn't spas just because my boyfriend was in the room, or at a casual touch. Of course, I'm surprised he'd listened, and hadn't tried to take Edward apart with his bare hands. That would have been bad...Two insanely powerful creatures pissed over a female? Not. Ever. Good.

"Hello, Edward." My voice was soft, almost too soft for my own ears, but I knew every vampire heard it. Reid probably did, too, but only because he knew me well enough to have guessed what I would say in a situation such as this.

We were frozen in what seemed like forever, golden gaze hitting solid brown. Then something hit me and wrapped me in a hug, and I heard Reid let out a slight yell. "BellaBellaBella! I missed you!" Alice squealed in my ear.

"Isy..." Reid spoke from behind me, and I didn't bother looking at him when I gave a thumbs up from my side. He seemed to see it, even though my arms were pinned to my sides by Alice, because I heard him step a bit behind.

"Alice, I need to breath." I gasped out, and she let me go, or mostly – she still kept my hand, smiling up at me.

"Alice." Edward's voice came from my side, and I realized he'd moved so that Alice could hug me. I turned my head to look at him, then at Alice. "I know you missed her, but I need to talk to her." Then he switched his gaze to me, and it felt like a punch to the stomach. "Outside?" It was phrased as a question, but we both knew we had no choice.

Except, just as I was about to speak up, Reid decided to make his presence known. "No way in hell, pretty boy. You are _not _taking her anywhere, outside or inside."

Everyone looked at him, and that included the people who weren't supposed to hear. "Keep your voice down, Reid, or everyone is gonna hear this conversation. You want that to happen?"

We both knew that if it did, if everyone heard what we were about to say...bad things would happen. As much as we like to think we're all powerful, even we have our limits. Memory wipes took a lot out of us, even Reid, who was a master with the mental. We could only use so much before out life force was drained to the point of death...

Making people disappear was a whole lot easier.

"Anything for you damn protection, princess." Reid snapped back at me, scowling as he lowered his voice. He reached out to touch me, probably to tuck hair behind my ear, as it was how we grounded ourselves. Nervous or angry? Brush the Power against another, and you felt immediately better. Hell, you didn't even have to Use, you just had to touch.

Edward's hand flashed out at inhuman speed, catching Reid's hand in midair. My eyes flashed around to see if anyone was staring, and nope, thank god. Then I went back to the problem at hand. "What the fuck, dude? Let me go." Reid was snarling now, and I winced for Edward. Not good.

"Dammit, Edward, let him go. I do _not _want a pissing match in my school," I hissed at both of them, watching Edward's face go impassive and Alice's eye widen.

Reid pulled his hand back, rubbing his wrist as he glared. Emmett finally spoke up from his seat next to Rose, smirking. "See you learned some new words, Bella," He teased, though he looked tense. In fact, everyone did, especially Jasper. In fact, Jasper looked kinda pissed.

"Why don't we all sit down and have a nice chat?" Alice bubbled up from next to me.

"No," Reid cut in before I could tell her sorry. "We need to leave. I don't even know why we're here."

"Who is he, Bella?" Edward asked, looking almost feral.

I sighed; this was not going the way I had hoped. Nice, neat and tidy? Nope, never for me, dammit. "Family, Edward, he's my family. And he's right; we've gotta go before we draw anymore stared." People were starting to catch on, finally, and staring. "But I have an address for a place we can meet. You can bring Emse and Charlise." I added as his face darkened.

"Bella..." His voice was a warning, and I almost smiled. He was so funny when he was trying to get his way.

"Here," I reached in my back pocket then frowned. I turned my head, eyebrows raised, to Reid. He sighed and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open and pulling out a torn piece of paper with a girl's number on it. "Man-whore," I grumbled to him, catching a wide glance from the vampires and a smirk from Reid.

A pen was held out to me by Alice, who smiled tentatively at me. Seems they were shocked my this 'new me', or rather, the real me. Oh well, they'd have to deal, or leave. Leaving being preferred for their health...

"Thanks, Alice." I muttered, taking the pen and clicking it. A second later, in my really crappy handwriting, the house address was scrawled over the back of the card. "We'll be home all evening, I think. We can talk there, but only there." For your safety and the safety of the humans, I added in my head.

"We'll be there," Edward growled, though his glare was directed at Reid as he took the card carefully. The paper vanished a second later, then Edward leaned down and brushed a kiss against my cheek. "Hope you don't mind," He whispered in my ear before moving away, eyes soft.

Reid grabbed my hand, squeezing it as I hesitated. "C'mon, Isy. We gotta go, or we'll miss the rest of lunch." Code for, hurry before Tyler and Caleb get anxious and break out the big guns. Okay, maybe not to him, but it was to me.

"See you tonight, Edward." I murmured to him, watching sadly over my shoulder for a few second as he and Alice joined the shell shocked table.

Reid's hand came around my shoulders as he hugged me to his side. "Sorry, Princess. I know you wished that could have gone better." He told me softly, clearing his throat. Reid never was an emotional one, but the comfort he gave was always true.

"Not your fault. Any reunion between star-crossed-lovers are bound to be horrible and angsty," I supplied, trying to be optimistic, "'sides, the second reunion shouldn't be this bad."

"I say we just kill 'em and leave it all to God to figure out," Tyler supplied as we both sat, Reid moving out of the hug to reach over and grab a fry from Caleb.

"Get your own damn food, Reid," Caleb growled without any real heat as he reached out and bumped fists with me. Then he went back to his conversation with Sarah, though I knew he had one ear open to us.

"Wouldn't that be Satan, baby boy?" Reid teased, popping the stolen fry in his mouth afterwards.

I rolled my eyes and smacked him on the back of the head, "They are _not _damned. We _all _know that." I snapped, scowling and picking at Tyler's food. He let me this once, of course, because I'd just had to see my ex-boyfriend and true love. Otherwise he'd have made me get my own.

"You got that right," Tyler muttered as we all watched the group of vampires leave the cafeteria. "Nothing damned to hell could look that beautiful."

"Hey! I take offense at that!" I joked, though only after the door had closed. "Besides, they're all taken. You know, the whole life mate thing?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Tyler joked right back, flicking my short hair out of my eyes.

Reid stole a fry from Tyler this time. "Wanna bet I can steal Blondie away from her guy?"

I laughed, "Oh my god, you and Rose would be a complete disaster. You two are almost exactly alike!" Then I paused, "Well, actually, Rose and Emmett kinda remind of you, if you were split in half."

"Oh?" One eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. Emmett was always making sex jokes and teasing me, the big teddy bear, and flexing his muscle." I smiled to myself, remembering. "I don't know Rosalie that well, but she seems mean, cutting and really protective, or so Edward's told me."

"Huh. Well, what do you know." Caleb thought aloud, "The first thing the princess did in her town was find supernatural creatures who seem to act like us." Then he grinned. "Someone was homesick."

"Was not!" I pouted, only to burst out laughing when Tyler and Reid poked me, one for each side.

"Ha! Yes, you were! You missed your big brother!" Reid remarked, ruffling my hair.

"I did not!" I protested once again, looking to Tyler for backup.

Tyler merely smirked and said snidely, "Yeah huh."

I screeched and threw my hands in the air, and just like that, my mood was lifted.


	5. Already Damned

Author's Note : For my own benefit...Reid's best field is mental magic, Caleb's is offensive, Tyler's is summoning and Pogue's is promotion. Isabelle has defensive down to an art, making physical and mental shields.

Chapter Four;

I was upstairs when the doorbell rang, getting ready, both mentally and physically, for what I had dubbed 'the Big Coming Out'. Reid had rolled his eyes and told me I was being melodramatic, but we all knew that this was a big step. I mean, how would the Cullens react when they found out that their weak little human wasn't really a human, or very weak?

I felt my eyes flash black as the Power welled up inside me, and a small circle in the mirror fogged over. Seconds later, it was clear, though it didn't show a reflection. It showed the foyer, which was farthest from the hall of bedrooms, and the people inside.

The Cullens looked as amazing as usual. Rose was dressed in black jeans and low cut, almost sheer, golden button up. Emmett looked big beside her, in jeans and a navy button up, and you just knew that Rose or Alice had picked it out, based on the design and the material, which hinted at silk.

Jasper hung back, a cotton t-shirt hugging his frame, and a jacket to match. The jacket was a dark red color, almost black, and it matched Alice, who was wearing a black skirt and a shoulder baring top in the deep red.

Esme and Carlisle were more...reserved, Esme in a deep blue dress that could be formal or casual, depending on the person. On her, it looked formal, as did everything, but she seemed totally unaware of it. Carlisle wore black slacks, a light blue suit shirt under the dark sports jacket.

I cared nothing about the clothes, though, at least not on them. Edward, on the other hand...He wore dark jeans, almost black, below a long sleeved dark blue shirt. The shirt hugged his body, though not as tight as the first one I'd seen him in. Still, I could imagine the muscle under the cloth, the blinding white of his skin...

I closed my eyes as a whimper escaped me, then yelped as a hand landed on my shoulder. I jerked around, barely catching the Cullens jerk towards the sound in the mirror. "Tyler, you dumb ass! What's with sneaking up on me?" I shrieked, glaring at him.

He ignored my outburst, looking down at me with sad eyes. They all knew how hard this was going to be, but Tyler was the most sensitive one, not as hard or mean as Reid or the others. "I just wanted to make sure, you know, that you okay." The he hesitated, "Plus, I...saw that you were...upset."

'Saw' meant 'felt', at least in Tyler's case, and 'upset' was code for 'Using'. "Sorry, Tyler. I just want to see them so badly," I kept what I wanted to say to myself, knowing that the vampires could hear me. On a note...my eyes flashed black for a second, shutting off the mirror.

He sighed and walked backwards without looking, sitting on my bed. "I know, Isy." He glanced around my room, eyes landing on the outfit that was thrown over my chair. "You're changing?"

"Of course I'm changing," I threw up my hands in exasperation, "I'm not having this meeting in sweatpants and a tank top."

He shook his head and flopped back on the bed, letting me change without his eyes watching me. I drew the sweater over my head. The thing was silk and black, and pretty damn expensive; good thing I was loaded. The jeans, though, were off brand, a dark, almost black, blue with silver beading on the butt. They looked good, and both sweater and jeans showed off my body, which had lost some weight.

Frowning, I looked in the mirror. "Do I look gaunt in this?"

I could see Tyler rise to his elbows, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, but Reid spoke from the doorway before 'Baby Boy' could get a word in. "Yeah, but then, with all the weight you've lost, everything makes you look gaunt." I rolled my eyes at him, but he added something before I could speak. "Now come on, they're waiting downstairs with Pogue."

"I know; I saw." I snapped at my brother, then sighed, "Why isn't Caleb down there instead?" Caleb was the one who got behind people's guards, with that angel face and boyscout aura. For that reason, he was the one that usually greeted guests.

"He got a call from his mother and took a few minutes to...visit her," Reid shrugged, stepping into the room with a frown. "That's an awfully tight shirt, little Princess."

"Oh, shut it." I growled playfully at him, smiling a little. Damn, but it was nice to be cared about. "At least I'm not wearing that tank top..." The last time I'd worn that, at Nicky's, Reid and the boys had almost dragged me out. They'd only left me alone when I put a jacket on.

Reid and Tyler both chocked as they sat up, then Reid yelped and slammed his hands to his temples. Both Tyler and I left the joking air behind as we moved closer to him. "You okay, Reid?" Tyler was the one to ask.

"Yeah, yeah," He muttered, dropping his hands and scowling. Then his eyes flashed back, and he spoke to us. _Pogue decided I needed a push, except his push turned into a shove. _Oh, that explained it. Pogue was the worst at mind to mind contact, since he always pushed too hard. _He wants us down there, though. Your vampires are getting antsy. _

I nodded, and Reid moved so that Tyler could get past him, followed by myself. "You sure I look alright?" I voice the question, my voice soft.

Tyler glanced back at me, smiling comfortingly. "You look great. You kick all their asses in the look department."

Reid snorted, "True, and if anyone says otherwise, I'll kill 'em for you." He flashed a less comforting and more shark-like smile at me. The scary thing, though, was the fact that he would do so if I asked him to. We would all kill and die for each other.

We were silent as we made our way from one end of the huge house to the other, and I paused at the edge of the kitchen. Two more steps, and I would see them again, maybe for the last time. I looked at Reid, who squeezed my hair, then shifted my gaze to Tyler, who smiled and pushed me slightly.

I pushed the cracked door open and stepped into the entrance hall, blinking as seven pairs of golden eyes fell on. Okay, six pairs of golden eyes and one pair of slightly black orbs, the latter belonging to Jasper...who still looked pissed.

"Bella!" Esme was the first to move, ignoring how Pogue tensed. She wrapped me in a giant hug, pressing a cold kiss to my cheek. I felt a pang for what I'd now have to give up, because when this woman, this vampire, found out what I was...Well, why would she want me when our own mothers didn't?

Carlisle was the second to wrap me in a hug, followed by Alice and of course Emmett. Jasper and Rose stayed back because, of course, Rose hates me and Jasper can't stand to be close to humans. Edward stayed further away, though the reason...I have no idea why.

"Wanna do the intro, princess?" Reid spoke up from behind me as Emmett moved away.

"Oh, um, yeah, sure." I stumbled through the words, "This is my family," I stepped a bit behind, so that Reid and Tyler were visible, or maybe because having super powerful warlocks surrounding me made me feel good.

"My biological brother, Reid Garwin," I averted my eyes as I motioned to him. "Tyler Simms, a family friend," And fellow witch, "And Pogue Parry, another family friend. Caleb Danvers should be here soon, since he owns the house." Though why he wasn't here now, I have no idea.

"Guys, this is Carlisle, his wife Esme, Rosalie and Jasper Whitlock, and Alice, Emmett and Edward Brandon." I introduced them, leaving off Carlisle's last name, since I didn't know what they were using this time.

There was a moment of silence before Alice spoke. She sounded somewhat subdued, unlike her normal bubbly self, though still cheerful. "I didn't know you had family up here, Bella."

"Um, yeah. Half-brother, actually," I explained, stumbling through that as well. "Our dad were the same, but, um, moms were different. My mom was Renee's sister, and I went to live with her and Charlie as a baby..." I trailed off, leaning back as Reid dropped his hand on my shoulder.

"Why don't we move to the living room?" Tyler suggested, already stepping back into the kitchen. "More room in there."

Carlisle nodded, taking the role of leader once again. "That would be wonderful," He shifted feet, motioning for Tyler to lead the way.

I stood to the side of the door as Tyler led them through the large kitchen, only to have Alice grab my arm. Once again, Pogue and Reid tensed, and I couldn't help but wonder if they would ever calm down...of course, we were surrounded by vampires...

"Can I talk to you for just a second?" Alice stage whispered to me, casting a very human looking glance behind her, "Alone?"

I nodded, and added, "Sure. Hey, why don't you two go join the others? I'll only be a second." They looked annoyed, or at least Pogue did. Reid had shut down his emotions completely.

Still, they left me in the foyer with Alice and all her pixie glory. She looked up at me, eyes wide and cute. Then she started, a little hesitantly, "There are so many questions I want to ask you, but..." She paused and seemed to think, maybe even looking for a future that didn't show. "Did you know that I can't see your future, that Jasper can't change your emotions?" A very nice way of asking, 'Do you what the hell is going on?'

I wanted to answer, I really did, but that was Caleb's job, not mine. "I can't tell you, Alice, I really can't." My voice was sad, but firm, and we both knew that I would giving anything else away.

Didn't mean she wouldn't try. "So you knew?" She asked, sounding surprised. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't; didn't matter to me. She still wouldn't get it out of me.

"Yes, Alice, I knew." I spoke softly, though I knew that the rest of her family could hear me. "I'll explain it all when we join the rest."

She perked at that, dropping the puppy dog eyes and grabbing my hand. "Well, then, come on! I wanna know!" She chirped, acting like her old self.

I laughed to myself, letting her drag me through the kitchen, or at least, most of the kitchen. "Hold on a sec, I need to grab some stuff," I interrupted her nonstop chatter.

She stopped and dropped my hand, looking around her. "What in the world do you need from a kitchen?" Her voice was bemused, and I smirked at her.

"I need to eat, remember? Not a vampire." I sang at her, not bothering to look at her face as I opened the fridge. "Besides, if we're gonna tell this story, we're gonna need some relaxants."

Bottle clinked together as I pulled five beers from the fridge, spreading them out between my fingers as I closed the fridge with a pop of my hip. "Bella!" I looked up at Alice's annoyed voice, only to see her eyes narrowed into rather angry slits.

"What?" She'd been confused before, and now, apparently, it was my turn. "What'd I do?"

"Beer!" She threw up her hands, "You're drinking beer?" She sounded rather indignant.

Oh, wait...now I was getting it. I'd never touched alcohol when I'd been in Forks, mostly because I didn't trust the people there enough to get drunk with them. Later, with the Cullens, it'd been because they didn't drink.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I prayed to God for the strength. "Seems like tonight is gonna last a lot longer that I though," I muttered, bringing a bottle to my forehead for the cold. "Yes, Alice," I stated a bit stronger, though there was no need. She had heard me before, "I drink; I've been drinking for a while now."

"But..." Poor Alice looked a little loss, so I interrupted her once again

"Lets get in there. Its took cold in this kitchen, at least for me." I swung around the wall that separated the kitchen and living room, blinking at the eyes that stared at me. They had probably been looking before, but now it really felt like I was being watched.

"Yo. Isy." Reid's voice came through my daze. "Are you going to stand there and look startled, or are you going to give me the damn drink?"

"Oh, shut up, Reid." I snapped at him, glad for something to focus my emotions on. "Besides, who said I got one for you?" I moved over to plop them down on the coffee table, letting the familiar sound of glass hitting wood ground me.

"Who else would they be for?" Reid countered as he snagged one from the table.

I rolled my eyes at him, then turned to glare at Tyler as he muttered something to Emmett, who laughed. "And stop with the jokes, you two. God, just what I need, Emmett meeting my brothers." My voice was annoyed as I slammed down between Pogue and Reid.

Tyler and Emmett sat across from us, Rose on Emmett's other side. Jasper leaned against a wall, and Edward was perched on the fire place, watching me. I gulped and moved my eyes, finding Carlisle and Esme on the single love seat, or rather Carlisle standing behind Esme, who was on the love seat. Alice joined Esme, plopping at her feet and watching me with large pixie eyes.

We all looked up as the door slammed open, followed by another slam as it closed. "That'll be Caleb." I exclaimed, surging to my feet and grabbing the last two beer (Tyler and Pogue had already grabbed theirs). "I'm gonna go grab him." I sent a glare around the room, smiling and joking, "Now don't kill each other."

Okay, so maybe half-joking.

I bumped into Caleb as I re-entered the foyer, keeping my balance thank to his hands on my shoulders. "Isy? What are you doing home?" He looked frazzled, tired and at the end of his rope.

I shoved a beer in his hand as I spoke, "Must have been bad, if you've forgotten." My eyes were sympathetic. Caleb might have a closer relationship than the rest of us, but she was a little rough on him, emotionally. "Meet the Ex-Boyfriend and Family tonight, remember?" I added capitals for importance.

His eyes went wide, "Shit, Isy, I'm so, so, sorry." He sounded horrified at his mistake.

I glanced down and popped the tops of the both the beers, my eyes flashing black for a mere second. "Hey, its cool. Your mom and all," I shot him a smile, "Take a drink and come introduce yourself, since you're, like, way better at this stuff than me."

"You got that right," He shot me a smirk as he lifted the bottle to his lips. I joined him in his drink, and we both lowered the dark brown glasses at the same time. "Explains the beer, too." He sounded amused at the last part as he followed me.

Caleb stepped into the room without hesitation, not sparing a glance at anyone other than Carlisle. I'd explained to him how the group worked, with Carlisle as the leader, Jasper as the deadliest fighter, and the rest almost as lethal.

"Carlisle, right?" Caleb smiled charmingly as he held his hand out, "The father of this rather amazing family?"

I plopped down to watch, taking a small sip of heaven to slow the butterflies in my stomach. Carlisle took a second, as if surprised. The others boys hadn't been nearly as polite, not even Pogue when he had let them inside. "And you must be Bella's other friend, Caleb Danvers."

"Yes, sir, that's me." Another charming smile. I almost burst out laughing. "I want to apologize for being late. I had a slight family emergency."

Now I came to attention. I felt Pogue and Reid straighten beside me as well, and I felt rather than saw Tyler's eyes narrow. "I hope it wasn't anything too serious?" Carlisle inquired, seeming to be the mouthpiece of the group, which wasn't surprising.

"My mother..." Caleb hesitated, which was when we knew it was bad. "She tripped and fell down the stairs."

"Shit," Tyler muttered, eyes wide as he stared up at Caleb.

He got a smile in return from his elder. "As I said, nothing to serious. She's staying a few nights at the hospital, that's all."

"How horrible," Esme breathed in, eyes full of compassion. She and her husband were probably the only ones truly concerned, but they all had polite masks of sympathy on their faces.

I could feel Reid's anger from my side. Moving my hand, I gripped his wrist and squeezed. A second later, his hand found my own and squeezed back, though he was still angry. Reid didn't like not being told everything, and Caleb had a habit of keeping things to himself.

"She'll be fine, Mrs. Cullen." Caleb smoothed over the ruffle he had cause, ignoring all of us, as in the Covenant, completely. "It is Mrs. Cullen, correct?"

"Yes, of course, but you must call my Esme, dear!" She fluttered from her chair, though only after Carlisle shifted to his left foot. She reached out and shook Caleb's hand, then pulled him into a hug that looked warm even from here.

Caleb hugged her back quickly, running with the greeting that, I supposed, was meant to offer comfort. Too bad Caleb wasn't the comfort type. They both stepped back, and soon after, Caleb had shaken every vampire hand in the room.

He moved back and perched against the couch arm, next to Pogue (Reid probably would have pushed him off). "So I hear that you and Isy dated for a while," Caleb directed the question at Edward, still sounding relaxed and approachable. "Amazing, all on its own, since Isy really doesn't date." He sounded questioning, though I knew better.

"We dated for a while, yes," Edward's voice was soft and smooth, and I shivered, my eyes closing on their own. "But Carlisle was offered a job, and we were forced to move." A glance at me, I saw through the half-open lips of the eyes. "Bella, of course, vanished before she could hear the news. Imagine my surprise when we both showed up here."

"I imagine it was a goddamn surprise," Reid muttered, ignoring the elbow that I shoved into his side, chocking as I managed to swallow my drink.

"Oh? And what do you do, Mr. Cullen?" Caleb directed the question towards Carlisle, knowing full well that the three hundred plus vampire was a doctor.

"I'm a doctor, at the hospital right outside of town." Carlisle replied, almost as smooth and wonderful as Edward.

Caleb nodded, almost knowingly, as he opened his mouth to speak. He was cut off, though, by Reid. "Hey, Doc, out of curiosity...ever eaten a patient?"

They stood so fast that they blurred. Rose, of course, was the first to speak. "I _told _you that she was going to expose us! I _told _you!" Her voice was high and angry, and almost burst my eardrums.

"Bella..." Carlisle looked honestly shocked, and Esme looked about ready to cry. Jasper and Edward were both made of stone, though probably for different reasons. Jasper was probably wondering how to kill me and my guys; Edward was probably just wondering why. Emmett was quiet, but I could almost see the anger on his face.

Alice was horrified, if the look on her face was anything to go by. "No, Bella, you didn't! You wouldn't have!"

Denial, thy name is Alice.

"Alice is right, actually." Tyler spoke, undaunted by the fact that both Rose and Emmett were mad enough to kill him, and that they were both standing beside him while he sat. "Well, mostly."

I felt the pull on the Power, though not enough to turn our eyes black. A glance beside me at Reid and Pogue assured me that they were keeping 'human', if only for a little while. Tyler was the same, eyes still normal and the white still there. Even Caleb, the resident warrior, was keeping fragile, or at least that appearance, up.

"We all would have known that you were vampires," Pogue stated, looking totally relaxed, "The moment you stepped into the school, we would have known."

"But you aren't shape shifters." Jasper spoke for the first time, and it was less question than statement. "Or Children of the Moon."

"We aren't that lucky, vampire." Caleb cracked a smile, and I felt the power building, "We don't get to play in the fun stuff."

Carlisle asked the next question, taking on the role of mouthpiece again. "Then explain what you are." Ooohhh, no more polite vampire, I though wickedly.

I decided to cut in, then. "Do you remember what you told me the last time you saw me, Edward?" I smiled, though no humor entered my face. My eyes turned to him, gold eyes meeting hard brown. "You basically told me that you feared vampires were damned, that you had no soul, and that was why you wouldn't change me. You told me you wouldn't condemn me to hell, just to keep me by your side."

Reid snickered at my side, and I saw Tyler smile, Pogue following the smirk on my other side. Even Caleb chuckled at my statement, though no true fun was held in any of our expressions.

My vision tunneled to Edward, the urge to Use so powerful, so loud and large in my anger, that I had trouble controlling myself. "Well, Edward," I spat his name, "Let me give you some news."

The Power was eating at me, and finally, finally, I let my body become the conductor once again. The fire of hell filled me, and my eyes became pools of onyx, showing bursts of fire every few seconds. A picture of hell.

"We're already damned!"


	6. Demon Spawn

Author's Note : Sorry it took me so long! This chapter was a bitch to right, you know that? And I'm having trouble holding Bella and Eddie from each other.

Anyone think I could bring in a new character? Or would that be too much?

And another question, because I'm just full of them : Should Reid and Tyler be a couple in this, or what? 'Cause the idea kinda struck me in the middle of the seventh chapter, and I want feedback first.

Chapter Five;

"_Sit."_ Reid's voice was melodic and velvety, and even I felt the compulsion to sit down. Since I was a shielder, and the effect was dulled and at a third of the usual strength, I couldn't imagine what everyone else in the room felt. "_Be silent."_

"Thank you," Caleb muttered to Reid and the vampires, who were sitting where, a second ago, they had been standing.

Rosalie had a sullen look on her face, Jasper was emotionless (get the pun?), Emmett looked confused as hell, and Esme looked depressed. Charlise was as emotionless as Jasper, and Edward was schooling his features to that of his father, while Alice simply looked shocked. In fact, the only one who seemed to be normal was Rose - she always looked ready to tear my heart out.

Tyler stood from his perch on the second couch, ignoring the two vampires by his side as his eyes filled with Power. The air around him was displaced as he shifted reality, then he popped up behind me. His feet were braced on the couch cushions beside me, and I leaded back into his body the moment I was able to.

Caleb, on the other hand, went for a more human approach. Well, mostly human. He placed his hands on the couch arm and moved like a cat, ending up with his legs thrown over Pogue's thighs and my own, and the other foot braced on the floor. The position was one of grace and agility, another show that while we may look human, like the vampires, we were far from fragile.

I felt Reid's Power from my other side as he leaned closer to me, and the sound of glass hitting glass alerted me to his work. I knocked my now-full beer against Tyler and Pogue's glasses without thought, giving a flash of my own magic, and the line continued on as we replenished the drink that none of us were legally allowed to have.

We all sat there, a coven of witches facing a frozen coven of vampires, for about a minute. Then Caleb coughed on his beer, before speaking. "Shit, I forgot," He shifted to look at Reid. "I was waiting for them to speak and do the outrage thing, but..."

A single raised eyebrow from my biological brother. He looked totally unapologetic, "Oops." Then he added power to his voice and turned to the vampires, "_Free to speak."_

"Let me go, you dirty, filthy, human cow, or I swear..." Rosalie started off.

I cut into her rant this time. "_Silence," _Rose seemed to shriek, and we all winced. Dang, that girl had some lungs on her. "Dammit, Reid, I told you I was bad at that spell," I growled at him, to keep from breaking down. Wasn't everyday a girl had to choose between families.

"Well, I suppose you did pretty well for someone who's new to the full Powers," Pogue suggested reasonably, getting a glare from me in return.

"Hey, Isy, which is the least likely to scream at us if we lift the silence?" Caleb asked after a second of watching the marbled-skinned vampires.

"I"m guessing Jasper or Charlise. Esme wouldn't scream either, at least I don't think so, but..." I can't face her right now, I added without my voice. "_Charlise, you are free to speak." _

With that, our meeting truly began.

_**Rose**_

That _bitch. _Rose glared and sent the thought out with all her might, mostly in hope that the things were reading her mind and heard her. Another part, a very little part, was hoping Edward heard her to, and that he hurt, because, dammit, he brought this on them.

All. His. Fault.

The blonde vampire tried to struggle once more, and found her body still shut down. She wasn't tied in place, or even bound by physical magic. It was as if her brain and her body were cut off, and only the barest hint that she actually had a body let her know her torso was still under her.

She growled to herself in her head for a few seconds, then stopped, tunning into the conversation. She obviously wasn't going to get anywhere, and besides, did she just hear the words, 'we don't want you hurt,'?

"If you don't want to hurt us, then why not let us go," Charlise asked; yep, she had heard those words. What kind of moron said that to vampires he'd just frozen in place? Come to think of it, what kind of moron pissed off a vampire?

"Okay, so we wish to hurt you," The human leader allowed, reluctant to say so, Rose bet. "But we won't, because then Isy would be sad, and we don't like to see our Princess depressed. Which, by the way, is why we want to hurt you, not to mention that you're all vampires in our territory."

Charlise seemed to mull over that for a second, then spoke in that stupid, democratic, I'll-be-perfectly-reasonable-and-not-kill-you voice, "I understand, really, I do. I wouldn't want any member of my family to be harmed, emotionally or physically." Then he paused, as if chewing on words, or maybe for effect, "Which is why I ask, what can we do so that both families can go along unharmed?"

The dark haired one blew out a breath, slowly, and spoke again. Rose wished she could tear out his throat and stop both his words and his breath. "That's why you're here" He glanced at the largest of the group – Pogue, if she remembered right, and she did.

"Isabella likes you, and your family, for some reason," His voice was dark and deep and molasses, and Rose wondered if that was a spell, too, to calm them down. "Normally, we kill any vampire or other in our territory; goes with our job description, ya know? But Isy, well, she really likes you, even fancies herself in a relationship with the boy," He jerked his head at Edward.

The white haired one took over then, "And, as much as we hate you," More looks at Edward, though the blonde was speaking to the group, "We love Isy more. That means, of course, that you have to live, and live here, where she can talk and chat with you, and where we can keep an eye on you."

The one sitting behind Bella took over, and Rose wanted to snarl at them to stop playing ping-pong. "What'd ya say? Wanna live here and have some fun with us?" His smile was charming, and if Rose hadn't seen his eyes go black, or the way he'd...moved, she wouldn't have guessed him any more than human.

Her father seemed hesitant, so very hesitant. He never hesitated, not really. "You want us to stay here?" He spoke slowly, as if fitting the words in his head. "Would it not be safer for us to leave?"

"For you? Yes. For us? Yes. For Isy? Yes." Caleb was the one to speak, "But would safety lead to happiness?" He shook his head, "Isy would be happy if you stayed, and we take happiness where we can find it," He had a small smile on his perfect lips, and Rose wondered what he wasn't saying. "Besides, I don't believe Edward wishes to leave, and we won't make him. If he doesn't leave, will you?"

"You are correct," Charlise conceded, giving his head a small dip, "At least in the fact that I will not leave without my family fully behind me. I do question, though, what makes you believe that Edward wishes to stay here, where his past love will haunt him and Bella both?"

Bella spoke, for the first time; she'd been sitting there like a stupid log, saying nothing, and Rose had almost forgotten she was there. Almost. "Why do you both presume what Edward thinks? Why not ask him?" Her eyes flashed black, she muttered something so slight even Rose couldn't hear, and Edward seemed to take a breath.

"Nice to know that I have a say in something to do with our lives," His voice was a whip in the room, burning and striking at Bella, who flinched.

The blonde one's eyes snapped black, though he didn't move. "Watch your tone, vampire." He smiled, his grin as cold as his eyes. "I might just lose my temper and fry you, and I really hate breaking promises to my kid sister."

Edward clenched his jaw, and Rose hoped he broke it. "I apologize," His voice was stiff and formal, as it was when he was offended, "Though I believe I have reason to be angry. I have been lied to, manipulated, frozen, and I find out the love of my life betrayed me."

"I'm sorry," Bella's soft voice drew Edward's gaze back to her, and the black eyes of the vampires seemed to soften, to Rose's disgust. "I was just afraid..." She trailed off.

"That I would find you disgusting?" Edward was certainly pissed now, "I trusted you with my secret, told you I was a vampire, yet you couldn't place that trust in me? You couldn't believe in me that much, that my love would overcome such small things?"

"Its not a small thing, Edward!" Bella cried from her seat, and Caleb moved swiftly as she surged to her feet. "It's not a bit extra, it's not some little magic that a human possesses! It's not even like being a vampire; I'm not human, I've never _been _human! It's not a small thing!"

Her voice had risen to a shout, filling the room, and everyone who was able to lowered their eyes, as if ashamed at her confession and the emotion in her words. Only Edward remained untouched.

"I don't care, I would never have cared. I still love you now, even though you tell me you aren't human. Even though you've lied and betrayed me, frozen me in place." Edward told her softly, eyes drilling into hers'. "The only reason I'm angry is because you believed that my love was so small that I couldn't accept you. That is what hurts the most."

Rose felt like she was intruding, and for once, there was no mocking thought. She watched Bella lift a hand to her mouth, eyes closing. Then the 'human' girl spoke, her voice thin and reedy. "I'm going to retire to my room. Inform me how the treaty goes."

No sound came from the room as Bella walked slowly up the stairs, and a door clicked shut. Then Tyler spoke from his perch on the couch, "You know, vampire, I think I like you." His voice was oddly cheerful, "You'll be good for her, when you two get over this spat."

Edward swung his head at the boy and snarled, fangs showing. "Quite, human." His voice was far from human, and he looked like the monster he thought they all were.

"Tut-tut. Did you listen to nothing my sis said?" Blondie teased from his corner of the couch. "We ain't human, so stop referring to us as such." He seemed to be having a good time of watching everyone squirm. Stupid male.

"If you aren't human, then what are you?" Charlise interrupted whatever his son was about to say, thankfully. Edward was already six feet under; no need to add to the hole.

"The Covenant, of course," Reid answered, almost lazy in tone, and Rose wanted to kill him. Again. "Sons of hell, witches with the Power of Hellfire and the task of ridding demons from this world."

Charlise raised his eyebrows, intrigued, as Rose herself was. "I wasn't aware that demons existed." He commented in a questioning tone, speaking what was on every vampire's mind.

Caleb smiled and look up at Tyler, who smiled back and spoke. "I'm gonna tell you the short version, 'kay?" Then he began, "When the world was first created, it was overrun by demon and demon spawn, creatures from the deepest reach of hell. Human being lived in terror and fear, and slowly, the human race was being picked off."

He paused, drawing in a breath and seeming to think about his words. "Four men were chosen, the best and the brightest, warrior beyond reproach or question. These human warriors approached the mouth of hell and ventured in. Ten years later, when a mere hundred humans remained, the descendants of those mortal warrior emerged from the mouth of hell."

"The four sons were powerful and deadly, and they robbed the world of the evil that plagued. The four new warriors settled down and had children of their own, and the line was carried on." Tyler wrapped up the censored version of their history, making the five families four to avoid question.

"When the four families came to America, they became part of the Salem Witch Trials, and formed the Covenant of Silence to protect themselves," Caleb took the story from Tyler. "We say nothing, and we make sure that the secret stays a secret."

A chilling smile crept over the blonde's face, but it was the large, dark-haired one – Pogue – who spoke. "Which means that if you spill our secret..."

"We will personally escort you into the fiery abyss that is hell," Reid seemed to find satisfaction in threatening them, "With great relish, at that."


End file.
